eating up the world

EATING UP THE WORLD

the environmental consequences of human food

choices

To find out more contact one of the societies below:

Compiled on behalf of

Vegetarian Network

Victoria, February 2009

Vegetarian Network Victoria

Email: [email protected]: www.vnv.org.au

Vegetarian/Vegan Society of Queensland

Email: [email protected]: www.vegsoc.org.au

The Australian Vegetarian Society (NSW)

Phone: (02) 9698 4339Web: www.veg-soc.org

Vegetarian Society of the ACT

Email: [email protected]: www.vegetariansociety.org.au

Vegetarian Action (SA)

Email: [email protected]: www.vegetarianaction.org.au

Vegetarian Tasmania

Email: [email protected]: www.tasveg.org

Special thanks to Voiceless for their financial

assistance in the production of this brochure.

www.voiceless.org.au

Thanks also to Hungerford Design Associates Pty Ltd

ACT

VNV brochure artwork 16/2/09 2:56 PM

Our planet faces serious environmental challenges.

Water shortages, global warming, land degradation,

deforestation, ocean degradation, food shortages and species

extinction are just some of these important issues.

It is now clear that we are using the Earth’s resources at anunsustainable rate. The problems we face as a result have an impactat all levels: on our planet, our cities and towns, our families andourselves.

Many Australians understand the fragile nature of our environmentand are taking action to reduce their personal impact. We arereducing car usage, using energy efficient light globes, taking shortershowers and implementing other important actions. While theseinitiatives have some benefits, they fail to address one of biggestcauses of our environmental problems… what we eat.

This booklet highlights some of the key problems that are facing ourplanet and us, shedding some light on the current condition of theenvironment and what the future holds. Most importantly, effectivesolutions are offered that can easily be implemented to makesignificant improvements to the wellbeing and sustainability of ourenvironment.

2 EATING UP THE WORLD

our fragile planet

It is now clear

that we are

using the Earth’s

resources at an

unsustainable

rate.

Many species are facing extinction.

Australia is reducing its animal species numbers at a higher rate thanany other country except the USA1. In Australia there are 1,249 plantspecies and 347 animal species that are endangered at some level.This includes insects, frogs, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.2

The biggest contributing factor to this endangerment is habitatdestruction caused by clearing of land for animal pasture.3

Animal industries are the major cause.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations recentlyreleased a report called Livestock’s Long Shadow. This report statesthat animal industries are one of the ‘most significant contributors tothe most serious environmental problems, at every scale from localto global.’4

Australia’s animal industries negatively impact bio-diversity

through:

• habitat destruction• climate change• pollution• the introduction of non-native species• increased competition for food and water.

EATING UP THE WORLD 3

plants + animals

... animal

industries are

one of the ‘most

significant

contributors to

the most serious

environmental

problems’...

Contents

introduction 2plants + animals 3water 4air 6land 8ocean 10energy + materials 12people 13bottom line 14references 15

VNV brochure artwork 16/2/09 2:56 PM

Over 67% of water in Australia is used for agriculture whereas only9% is for household use.7

Many people are surprised to learn that the amount of water used toproduce food is much greater than that used directly in households.A 2004 Melbourne University study concluded, ‘Water use throughfood consumption is 90% of a household’s water use. This impliesthat for any water saving effort to have an effect; it should beconcentrated on indirect water use’.8, 9

A very effective way to reduce water use in Australia is to reduceindirect water use, principally the production of animal products suchas meat and dairy.

Animal industries have additional detrimental impacts on

fresh water supplies.

• Grazing animals trample river edges and pollute the water • Clearing of native vegetation for pasture reduces rainfall, whilst

increasing runoff and soil erosion• The manufacture of animal products (such as leather) pollutes

rivers with toxic chemicals such as chromium, mercury andformaldehyde

• Fresh water fish-farms pollute riverine environments• Factory farms in the US pollute rivers more than all other

industries combined (currently more than 500 million tonnes ofmanure is produced each year).10


Australia is currently facing significant fresh water shortages,primarily due to waste and misuse. This is compounded by the factthat Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth.

Raising animals for food requires enormous amounts of

water.

It takes up to 50,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of beefcompared to only 2,500 litres to produce 1 kilogram of white rice,and much less for most fruit and vegetables.5

In Victoria, 77% of agricultural water is used for pasture and hayproduction for grazing animals raised for meat and dairy products.In comparison, only 10% is used for the production of fruit andvegetables for human consumption.6

water

It takes up to

50,000 litres

of water to

produce

1 kilogram

of beef...

...a very

effective way to

reduce water

use in Australia

is by reducing

the production

of animal

products such

as meat and

dairy.


VNV brochure artwork 16/2/09 2:56 PM Page 4

Animal agriculture degrades land that absorbs CO2

Grazing takes up nearly 50% of the Australian continent, roughly380 million hectares.14 We could be using some of this land to takeup carbon either by growing forests, or improving the carbon contentof the soil. If we planted just a small fraction of that land with nativeforests, we could ‘soak up’ Australia’s carbon emissions in just a fewdecades.15 In addition, the carbon credits generated from this activitycould possibly be worth billions of dollars annually on the globalcarbon trading market.

Given that the methane and carbon dioxide attributed to agriculturalanimals is a substantial contributor to climate change, reducing meatand dairy consumption is a very effective way for individuals to makea real difference to reducing global warming.

A recent University of Chicago study compared the indirect energyuse associated with animal and plant based diets. It found thatadopting a plant-based diet would save substantially greater carbondioxide emissions than switching from a ‘regular’ car to a Priushybrid car.16 What’s more, it takes no capital investment!

The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, recently pleaded with the world:

‘Please eat less meat – meat is a very carbon intensivecommodity.’17


Australia’s animal industries produce a large percentage of

our greenhouse gas emissions.

Over 30% of the greenhouse emissions produced in Australia can beattributed to animal industries. This is taking into account their directemissions as well as their substantial fuel consumption and energyuse from power stations.11

Methane has far greater global warming potential than

carbon dioxide.

Efforts to combat global warming must not be concentrated solelyon reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Methane produced byanimals is also a substantial contributor to climate change. Methaneis much more dangerous in the short term than CO2. Over the next20 years methane has a warming potential at least 72 times that ofcarbon dioxide.12

Animals raised for food in Australia produce about 3.1 megatonnesof methane annually. Multiply this figure by 72 and you get warmingequivalent to 223 megatonnes of CO2. The annual output of all ofAustralia’s coal fired power stations put together totals 180 megatonnesof carbon dioxide.13

Australia’s livestock will produce substantially more warming overthe next 20 years than all of our coal fired power stations puttogether!13


air

Over 30% of

greenhouse

emissions

produced in

Australia can

be attributed to

animal

industries...

Reducing meat

and dairy

consumption is

the most

effective way

for individuals

to make a real

difference.

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In addition, animal grazing itself directly impacts the

environment through:

• compacting and acidifying our soils • spreading weeds • increasing to unsustainable levels the volume of manure and

other by-products on our land and in our waterways

According to the CSIRO and the University of Sydney a massive92% of all land degradation in Australia is caused by animalindustries. Plant agriculture, mining, forestry, manufacturing,residential building and all other industries account for the smallremainder.11

When the land is exhausted, society will suffer.

Increased numbers of agricultural animals, over-farming and over-grazing can lead to vicious cycles of deforestation, erosion andhabitat destruction. Eventually this can lead to starvation promptedby the disappearance of plant food sources.

Australia, as well as being dry, has the oldest and poorest soils ofany continent. Biogeographer Jared Diamond, author of Collapse,notes that societies with a similar kind of environment to ours whofailed to manage it wisely followed a path that led to environmentaland then economic and social collapse.18


An enormous proportion of our land is used to produce

animal products.

Nearly 50% of the Australian continent is grazed by animals raisedfor human consumption11. This is in addition to the land that iscleared and used for the production of hay and other food foranimals.

Clearing of forests and bushland for animal industries results inhabitat loss throughout Australia, which is the major cause of wildlifespecies becoming threatened, endangered and extinct.

Clearing forests and bushland for animal production also results in:

• the removal of vegetative cover, which is the single most criticalfactor in preventing erosion

• loss of topsoil which is a critical factor in ecological productivity• changes to the water table resulting in salinity problems across

vast areas of Australia• changes to our climate resulting in worsening droughts


land

Clearing of

forests and

bushland for

animal

industries

results in

habitat loss.

... a massive

92% of all land

degradation in

Australia is

caused by

animal

industries.


In addition, today’s fishing techniques create enormous ‘by-catch’,which is the unintentional capture of sea animals such as non-targetfish species, whales, dolphins, turtles, seals and sea birds like thealbatross. Many of these species are facing extinction due tofishing.4, 23

Fish farming, where fish are raised in netted cages, also causessignificant environmental damage. In particular fish farmingconcentrates faecal contamination in specific areas of the ocean andrivers, promoting the rapid spread of disease and parasites, to bothcaptive and wild fish populations.

Fish farming can also result in non-native fish species escaping anddamaging the surrounding environment. Worst of all, farmed fisheat fish – 5kg of wild fish is needed as feed to produce 1kg offarmed fish.

All this destruction doesn’t come cheap! The United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) recently estimated that over20 billion ($US) annually is used to subsidise global fishing industries. 24


Our oceans are dying.

While most people are aware of the widespread devastation of ourland, the amount of damage occurring beneath the surface of ouroceans may be even greater.19

In order to cater to the growing worldwide market for fish, modernfishing methods have depleted populations to such a level that theindustry is now ‘fishing down the food web’, targeting deep sea fishand species not previously taken. Our appetite for seafood hascreated ‘dead zones’ in the ocean tens of thousands of squarekilometres in area.1, 20

The destruction of fish populations is accelerating, with 13 of theworld’s 17 major ocean fishing zones already depleted or in seriousdecline, and the remaining four fully or over exploited. 21, 22

Not only are we sending fish populations into a spiralling decline,destructive fishing techniques including dragnets, long lines, purse-seine nets and driftnets are destroying large parts of the oceanenvironment in the process.


ocean

... fishing

techniques

including

dragnets,

long lines,

purse-seine nets

and driftnets are

destroying large

parts of the

ocean

environment.

low res, plssupply highres

Bycatch Bycatch

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Poverty and malnutrition are widespread.

790 million people in the world are chronically undernourished.28

About 27,000 children under 5 die of poverty and starvation everyday.29

Most edible grain is used to feed animals for meat, dairy and

egg production.

We grow enough edible grain to provide 50% more than is requiredfor every person in the world.4 Most of this edible grain is used tofeed animals for meat, dairy and egg production. As a result, theprice of grain has risen by hundreds of percent in recent years,pricing poor people out of the market for basic foods.

The world’s cattle alone consume enough food to feed 8.7 billionpeople – more than the entire human population.30

‘Feeding millions of tonnes of grains to animals and raisingbillions of animals to feed humans is callously indifferent to theundernourished people in the world, whose sustenance dependson the same basics (wheat, soybeans, vitamins and materials) asthe food fed to factory animals.’United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organisation 31

Plant based foods are a more effective way to feed people.

It takes many kilograms of plant protein fed to a cow to produce asingle kilogram of beef protein. Between 80-95% of food energy andprotein available in plants is wasted when converted to meat forhuman consumption. It is much more efficient for people toconsume foods lower in the food chain (i.e. to consume the plantfoods directly). Protein from plant-based sources is also healthierthan the protein in animal sources and does not contribute toproblems such as heart disease or cancers.33

Human Health.

Studies show that vegetarians outlive their non-vegetariancounterparts by between 5 and 10 years.32 The China Study, thelargest peer reviewed scientific study conducted on human diet,concluded that people on a plant based diet had far less incidence ofheart disease, cancers, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and many otherdiseases.33


Virtually all economic activity and every aspect of our lives

is dependent on the availability of energy and materials.

Australia’s oil production peaked in the year 2000 and is now indecline. From a position where we once produced all our own oil, wenow import 30%, and our dependence on imports is increasing everyyear. Some predict 80% of our oil will need to be imported by 2020.25

It takes a great deal more fuel to produce a kilogram of beef comparedto a kilogram of grain or vegetables.26, 27

In addition, the raising of animals for food uses significant amountsof energy for:

• transport of feed and livestock• operation of livestock facilities (including lighting, heating, cooling

and slaughter)• packaging, constant refrigeration and cooking

A reduction in animal industries would lead to increases in

land available for native vegetation and sustainable forestry.

The beef, sheep and dairy industries account for 92% of forestclearance and land degradation in Australia and use up 50% of ourentire continent.11

If we reduced or eliminated these industries, we could regainabundant land, some of which could be used for reforestation,forestry and the production of plant based fuels, materials andfabrics.


energy + materials people

It takes a great

deal more fuel

to produce a

kilogram of beef

compared to a

kilogram of

grain or

vegetables

Most edible

grain is used to

feed animals for

meat, dairy and

egg production

Imag

e co

urte

sy o

f U

SD

A N

RC

S


References:

1. World Wildlife Foundation. Wave of Extinction hits Australia. 2003 [cited1/08/2008]; Available from: www.wwf.org.au/news/n48/.

2. Australian Government, D.o.t.E., Water, Heritage and the Arts, ThreatenedSpecies. 2008.

3. David Lindenmayer (CSIRO Publishing), On borrowed time. 2007.4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Livestock's Long

Shadow. Environmental Issues and Options. 2006.5. Professor Wayne Meyer, C.f.I.F., Water for Food - The continuing debate. 1998.6. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 4618.0 Water Use on Australian Farms. 2005-6.7. CSIRO and Australian Government, State of the Environment Report. 2006.8. Tsang, How much water did you eat today? 2004.9. Rutherford, I., City people eat rivers: estimating the virtual water consumed by

people in a large Australian city. 2008.10. Alliance, W., EPA Factory Farm Pollution Rule Illegal, Says Federal Appeals

Court 2008.11. Foran, B.L., M. Dey, C., Balancing Act: A triple bottom line analysis of the 135

sectors of the Australian economy. CSIRO Technical Report, 2005.12. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group 1 - The Physical

Basis of Climate Change, AR4 Final Report. May 2007.13. Brook, B.R., G. Singer, P., Meat's Carbon Hoofprint. Australian Science,

2007(November-December).14. Hamblin, A. Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Research Economics,

Australia - State of the Environment 2001, Land Theme Report15. Green carbon: the role of natural forests in carbon storage / Brendan Mackey

(2008) 16. Gidon Eshel, P.M., Diet, Energy and Global Warming. Earth Interactions, 2006.

10: p. 1-17.17. Shun meat, says UN climate chief , BBC News, Sept 7 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7600005.stm18. Diamond, J., Collapse: How Societies choose to fail or succeed. 2004.19. Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Save the High Seas: Bottom Trawling. 2008.20. UN Environment Programme, Global Environment Outlook Yearbook. 2003.21. Lotze, H.K., Impact of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services.

Science, 2006(3 November).22. Earth Policy Institute, Indicators. 2004.23. Birdlife International, Save the Albatross, the race is on. 2005.24. United Nations, The Agreement on High Seas Fishing: An Update. 1997.25. Dave Cohen, A.U., Peak Oil Down Under. 2007.26. Melman, R.A.B.A.G., Energy Values of inputs of animal husbandry. 1993.27. Pimentel, D.M., Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the

environment. American Journal of Clinical Nutirition, 2003. 78(3).28. World Resources Institute Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems, February 2001,

(in the Food Feed and Fiber section)29. UNICEF, State of the World’s Children 2008 http://www.unicef.org/statistics/30. Spencer, C., The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. 1995.31. Coats, C (1989) Old MacDonald's Factory Farm: The Myth of the Traditional

Farm and the Shocking Truth About Animal Suffering in Today's Agribusiness,pp 140-141

32. Fraser, G., 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. 2008.33. Campbell, T.C., The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition

Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss andLong-Term Human Health. 2006.


If we want to preserve and restore our environment in

Australia, we must make changes to our diet. The food we

eat has a major effect on our waterways, the quality of the

air we breathe and on the environment around us.

Eating fish and other sea life is killing our oceans, agriculturalindustries are polluting our waterways, and vast areas of land arewasted with the grazing of animals. These practices areunsustainable and the global impacts are being felt more than everbefore.

By adopting a vegetarian diet you can make a significant contributiontowards improving your health as well as that of the planet.

The significant environmental benefits that can be made by adoptinga vegetarian diet include:

• enabling fresh water to be redirected to more efficient uses andto restoring healthier river flows and aquatic habitats

• allowing the rehabilitation of grazing land into bushland whichwould greatly reduce land degradation and the loss of Australia'sbiodiversity

• reducing the drivers for climate change, including carbon dioxideand methane, and increasing the capture and storage of gases bythe environment

• reducing oil consumption and dependence on foreign sources ofenergy and materials

• enabling our oceans to revert back to the vibrant ecosystemsthat they once were and allowing fish populations to recover tonormal levels.

Animal industries are eating up the world.

It is up to us to save it!


the bottom line

Reducing the

consumption of

animal products

would be an

enormous

contribution to

avoiding

dangerous

climate change...


eating up the world

Education